Museum of typewriters & other bureau accessories

About project

Nowadays.

It is
difficult to imagine a modern office without office equipment. That is all
those computers, monitors, printers, scanners, fax machines, mobile phones, and
all kinds of boxes with colorful lights and miles of cables connecting all of
these devices. We stand on our own two feet on the journey towards the
technical progress! We combine computer machines, creating something new out of
it. Then we add new functions, making the device more complicated and as a result
we cannot explain its main purpose. It is incomprehensible, how we were able to
manage without these devices 20 years ago? So, what did people actually use in
offices and studies 20...30...50 years ago? Let's take a look back 100 years!

Only forward!

Latvia 100
years ago. At that time the Industrial Revolution was taking place in Russian
Empire. Lifland province is on the frontline of technical progress. The
closeness of Europe does not leave any choice. The investments from foreign
companies, banks, engineers, technicians and scientists are doing their jobs. A
lot of plants and factories are being built in Riga during this time. Numerous
merchandise of the Modern Europe, such as cars, planes, trains, cameras,
bicycles, radios, and much more are launched into production here. It takes
minimum of time from idea's appearance to it's implementation. The idea doesn’t
even have time to be reflected on the technical drawings, as it has already
been realized. Time feels like a tightly wound spring. It is vital to catch up
with technically advanced Europe. The foreign management does deliver the
results fast. Lifland province becomes the technological outstation of the
Russian Empire!

What?

What kind of
technical equipment can we find in offices in those days? A quill pen and
wooden abacus do not meet the technical progress requirements. The phone turned
to be a pillar for fast communication. The typical items on the office table
were: a typewriter, a duplicating machine, logarithmic ruler, mechanical
calculator (arithmometer), stapler, hole punch, set of modern dip pens,
inkwell. The Head of Office was entitled to have an ink pen! Pencils were
sharpened using special mechanical sharpener. All the tools would correspond
with latest technology. Well, now finally we got to our subject of interest – a
typewriter.